Spoken from the Heart (or Thereabouts)
by LScore
Summary: [ON HIATUS; Sanami Ficlets] Sometimes the right words come from the heart, and sometimes... well, they come from lower. Shout out to faithfulwhispers and belatedbeliever1127 on tumblr for the 50 drabblet challenge that inspired this collection!
1. 1: When you're happy, I'm happy

"Neh, Sanji-kun?" Watching Sanji hard at work in the galley, Nami couldn't help but wonder.

"What is it, my dear Nami-swan?" Sanji looked over from the stove, where he was keeping an eye on two bubbling pots while also cutting carrots.

"How do you find time to make me these?" she tilted her head towards the exquisite little orange tart that he'd set in front of her with her tea.

"It's important to me, so I make the time," Sanji smiled at her, not missing a beat as he dumped the carrots he was chopping into one of the pots.

"But why? Wouldn't it better if you had more time to prep?"

Sanji actually stopped what he was doing, and turned to look at her with a slightly worried expression on his face. "Nami-san, do you not like this?"

"No!" Nami exclaimed, "No, these little treats make me really happy! I just..."

"Then it's fine," Sanji smiled at her, "If you're happy, I'm happy."

Nami thought about it for a second, then nodded. There was a moment of peace while Sanji worked at the stove, and Nami ate her tart.

_A moment later..._

"Neh, Sanji?"

"Hai, Nami-sa~!?"

_Thunk!_

"Ah?! Chopper!"

At Nami's call, the ship doctor ran through the door of the gallery to his patient, who was rapidly losing blood. Robin, who'd been sitting on the deck and heard the commotion, also poked her head through the open door to see what was going on.

Then she started laughing.

"Nami-san, you shouldn't do that while Sanji-kun's making dinner."

"I just wanted to make him happy! Besides, I'm still wearing a bikini top! Pervert..."

* * *

I set a goal to publish 2 things a week, so I'm hoping to update this every Wednesday and Saturdays when "I'll Do It" needs more revision time. These are going to be lightly edited, potentially related, dash'em off and post'em up deals, so apologies for the mistakes in advance. Wish me luck! Also, shout out to Corru on the r/fanfiction discord who helped me name this collection.


	2. 2: This will only take a second…

He almost missed the first approach. The first glimpse of a new island was a rare and precious thing, in Sanji's mind, since it meant that anything could happen. No matter how many new islands they approached, the moment before they landed was his favourite. It was just so full of potential.

"Sanji! You're going to miss it!" Nami called from the deck. She'd never let him forget one after he'd told her about his quirk.

"Coming, Nami-swan!" he chirped, hooking a towel over his shoulder.

There was always a hundred things to think about when the Thousand Sunny made landfall. Sanji had to check the larder, check the pantry, check the icebox, check whether or not Luffy and Chopper had eaten all his crystalized sugar and meat as a midnight snack, check that Usopp hadn't gotten into his spice cabinet again and used it for "inspiration", and whether he'd packed all the lunches that had been requested, and how Franky's cola stores were holding up - it was a lot. Plus, this time they were paying a courtesy call to the Amazon Isle of women, so Sanji had to make sure that he had the correct currency from Nami, and that he'd prepared the proper snack to accompany the tribute that Luffy was going to bring...

Even with all the things crowding his brain right at that moment, he noticed the large group of women on the shore, watching the Pirate King's ship approach. He started to grin lasciviously at the whole bunch. Nami did not miss his pervy reaction, but sharp eyed as she was, she also saw the wave of swooning that rippled over the beach when Sanji appeared on deck. She scowled

"Sanji-kun?" she called. When Sanji looked at her distractedly, Nami crooked a finger at him. "Come here."

"Nami-san, I have to -"

"This will only take a second!"

"But Nami-san-"

"Mou!" She grabbed the lapels of his jacket and hauled him closer to her. He only had an instant to wonder what the heck she was doing, and wow she had pretty eyes and pretty lips, but -

_Okay, what was she doing?!_

"Carry on." She smiled brilliantly at him. Sanji could only gape at her as she turned towards the shore and smirked at the large group of now disappointed would-be fangirls. Wonderingly, almost reverently, he touched his tingling lips, which were the only proof that Nami the catburgler had stolen his first kiss


	3. 3: Of course you'd believe that

Nami had a problem. She wasn't surprised by the problem, which were the looks, but she was surprised by their source.

"Okay Sanji-kun, that is it!" When she caught him at it for the hundredth time this past week, she'd had enough. He wasn't even being subtle about it! "What is wrong with my chest? Why are you staring it like that?"

"I'm not staring at it!"

"Sanji, you spend half your time looking at me staring at my boobs when we're not talking. You may be a gentleman, but you're also a pervert, and I want to know what's made you scowl at my boobs for the past week! Did they become smaller?"

"No," that scowl reappeared for just a second, but it was long enough for Nami.

"Tell me! You're making me think there's something wrong with my tits!"

"It's just..."

"Sanji-kun... so help me..."

"Ah, Nami-san, no need to get violent! I was just wondering who massaged them for you in the two years while you were training on Weatheria! It's not any of my business, but it's all old men there, so -"

"WHAT?! Who rubbed-?"

"Brook said that's how you make them bigger!"

THUD. "Idiot! No one rubbed them, it's hormones, okay?! Hormones! You pervert. Of course you'd believe that..."

As he watched Nami stomp away through his one unbruised eye, Sanji let out a small sigh of relief.


	4. 4: Why Didn't You Write Me Back?

This is a tie in to my latest published work, _Catch Me if You Can_. Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm fine. Please stop looking for me, it's troublesome."

Sanji stared at those terse words. He had to read them twice, and then one more time to understand they were actually the ones on the page and not a figment of his exhausted mind.

Maybe someone had kidnapped her? Maybe they were holding her hostage? But no, Robin-chan would have mentioned something the last time she'd popped in, since she'd mentioned seeing Nami and telling her about Usopp and Kaya's baby shower. And if Nami had been in trouble, there'd be a call for help in these words, even if she'd had to encode them somehow. Nami was smart, and no one knew her like he did.

The note was almost the exact opposite. As if she knew that given the slightest provocation, he'd drop everything and run to her side (like he'd been about to do, since he hadn't heard back from her).

What had he done wrong? Had he sent too many messages? He knew she was busy, dealing with her devil of a publisher. But dammit, so was he. The restaurant had been so insane since it took off nine months ago, after that article came out. And he'd only sent three messages (well, he'd only sent three that had ever reached her). Dammit, he deserved better. They were nakama! He'd -

"Chef Sanji!" One of his sous chefs called him from the galley. Sanji looked up with a start, and noticed that he'd almost crumpled the telegram. He hurriedly smoothed it out and then tucked it into his breast pocket.

Well, whatever. She probably had a good reason for it. He'd trust her and leave it alone for now.

If only he could leave the leaden weight on his heart alone.


	5. 5: If I could just get you to understand

"You worked hard today, Nami-swa~n," Nami blinked when someone called to her just as she was finishing work on her maps for the day. Sanji was coming towards her with a laden tray balanced on his left hand.

"For me? Thank you Sanji-kun!" Nami beamed at him.

Sanji put down a plate of fresh cut fruit beside her elbow while simultaneously whisking away her empty plates. "For you, Nami-san, always."

"Could you please also-" she nodded towards her empty cup, but Sanji was already refilling it with her favourite tea, perfectly brewed, adding exactly as much sugar and milk as she liked.

"Anything else, Nami-san?" Sanji asked, tidying up her papers as she enjoyed her first sip of fresh tea. It was the perfect temperature, of course.

"I'm sure you'll think of it before I do, thank you Sanji-kun," Nami smiled at him, "you're so good to me. I don't really understand it."

Sanji paused at the slightly troubled expression on her face, and gently picked up her free hand. "Don't think too much about it, Nami-san. It makes me happy." He dropped a gentle kiss on it before putting it back down again, smiling at her, and turned around to take his empty tray back to his kitchen.

Knowing she was blushing bright red behind him, Sanji grinned to himself. He couldn't very well tell her he did these things because he liked making her smile, could he? When she was overthinking things, he liked to fluster her a bit. She just didn't understand how cute she was.


	6. 6: That stuff can't be good for you

"Sanji-kun, why do you smoke?" Nami asked.

Sanji looked up from where he was enjoying his evening cigarette, out where the wind would blow the smoke away from the deck of the Thousand Sunny. He'd just finished a long day in the kitchen, and he'd taken the chance to take off his jacket and roll up his shirt sleeves. The navigator was walking towards him from the bathtub, having obviously just taken her evening shower. She had a towel slung over her shoulders, her hair was still damp, and she wore the most adorable Tshirt and shorts, obviously ready for bed,

"Mm, it's kind of a dumb reason, Nami-san," Sanji smiled at her. "I thought it would make me look cool. I wanted to impress Zeff."

Nami nodded, like she understood. "It smells nice," She leaned closer to him, so that their hands were touching on the deck and he could smell her scent. She smelled like soap and tangerines and pure Nami, a clean, fresh, warm scent that Sanji could have picked out in the world's largest perfume boutique.

"After... Arlong. When I was missing Bellmere, Nojiko and I would pull out one of her cigarettes. We'd just light it up and leave it in the ashtray, and for a moment, it was like she was back again." She closed her eyes and leaned in even closer to him, as if to surround herself in the memory. She was so close now, he could lean forward a little and kiss her. Just a breath. All he'd have to do was put out his cigarette and -

"Nami..."

But she pulled back suddenly and grinned at him, "We tried smoking once, though. It tasted gross! That stuff can't be good for you."

"Nami-san, I-"

"Good night, Sanji," with a wave and a smile, she left him there, wondering what in the world had just happened.


	7. 7: If you love it so much, then marry it

"God dammit, Nami, I'll give it to you next time we get to port. Leave me alone!" Zoro roared at her, striding across the deck of the Thousand Sunny.

"That's what you said LAST time we landed. Give me my damn money, Zoro!" Nami yelled back.

Robin and Chopper watched the scrawny Navigator somehow chase one of their crew's strongest fighters around the deck.

"If you like money so much, you should just marry it!" Zoro hollered back at her.

"Don't think your debt would count as a wedding gift!" Nami retorted.

Robin and Chopper were leisurely watching this typical scene without much interest, until Chopper turned to Robin and asked, "Neh, how does Nami marry money, Robin-chan? Money isn't alive, and it can't eat the Hito Hito no Mi, it doesn't have a mouth."

Robin chuckled as she saw Nami grab Zoro in a headlock. "In this case, Zoro means that Nami should marry a rich guy."

Chopper gasped, "But who would she marry? None of the guys are rich! She'd have to leave the crew! Noooooo! Nami can't leave!"

"Well, Sanji is from a rich family…" Robin studiously ignored the little devil horns she felt growing out of her forehead.

Sanji came out of the kitchen balancing a tray of tea for Robin and Nami, but Chopper slammed into his back, nearly toppling him over.

"Sanji! You have to marry Nami!"

"Whaaaaaaaat?!"


	8. 8: This tastes bitter…

Nami watched nervously as Sanji lifted the cup to his lips. She really wanted this one to turn out okay, since he'd spent all this time teaching her how to do it right. The Sunny's Galley was a disaster zone of coffee grounds, spilled milk, and dirty cups.

She watched as Sanji took a deep sniff of the coffee's aroma. She watched as he tilted the cup to examine its color. And she held her breath as he finally took a long sip.

"How is it?" Nami asked nervously. She couldn't stand the anticipation any more.

"Mm," Sanji said noncommittally, which made Nami groan and bury her head in her arms.

"It's awful, isn't it?" Nami sighed.

"It's a little bitter," Sanji conceded.

"I swear I did it exactly like you said!" Nami protested, "How do I fix this?"

"Well, next time, grind the beans less fine, and pour more slowly," He smirked as Nami diligently took notes. "For this cup..."

Nami was so busy noting down what Sanji had said in her coffee notebook that she didn't notice Sanji put down his cup and come closer to her. She did notice when he gently grasped her chin and lifted her face up to his, though. He kissed her, hard and swift and teasing, with just enough tongue to leave her gasping when he drew back. He left the taste of bitter coffee on her tingling lips.

"Just add a little sweetness."


	9. 9: Shhh, they'll hear us

"Hurry up!" Usopp hissed as loudly as he dared to Luffy's body, jumping up and down, "They're going to catch us!"

Luffy muttered something that sounded like a "shut up then" from inside the larder, but Usopp couldn't really hear him. In the hush of midnight, he could hear the waves lapping up against the ship, the distant cry of seabirds, and every ominous creak that ship made, like the Sunny itself was tossing and turning in its sleep. Luffy had stretched his neck out so that only his head was searching through the larder door. They had only dared to crack it open a hint, and Usopp swore they'd woken the whole ship with that creak.

Usopp grumbled and danced in place. They wouldn't have to be doing this if Nami hadn't yelled at them all about the rising food costs, and Sanji hadn't listened to her and locked away the midnight snacks. Che! She was so stingy, and they worked so hard. They deserved some extra snacks!

"Got it!" came Luffy's muffled cry. Usopp hissed, "Shhhhh!" but anxiously watched as his Captain's head came back. Just then, a soft creak came from the back door near Sanji's personal office

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Usopp started to freak out. In his panic, he bumped into the pantry doors and closed it on Luffy's neck!

"GHRK!" Luffy was starting to panic when his hands started to scramble for the handles to pull open the door again.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Usopp hissed while frantically tugging at the handles, only to be hampered by Luffy's flailing limbs.

"Who's shutting up?" a voice that made both of them freeze up came up from behind them. A cold bead of sweat trailed down Usopp's back, and Luffy froze mid-flail. He turned around.

"Hi... Nami... Sanji..."

It was only much later, when Chopper was bandaging his wounds, that Usopp thought to wonder why Nami had come out from Sanji's office at that hour.

* * *

**AN:** I'm posting this instead of my usual update to _I'll Do It_ because I'm a numbskull AND I TOTALLY FORGOT THAT SANAMI WEEK IS NEXT WEEK. So _I'll Do It_ will get updated next week, as will (I hope) six other Sanami fics, Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy some Usopp and Luffy Hijinks.


	10. 10: Don't Look Down

_AN: This is an extension to Sweets Romance, another fic of mine. Please pop over and read if you're wondering who Mello is._

* * *

"This had better be worth it," Nami scowled at the sky. She knew the winds, and the air currents, and the clouds. She'd spent time living on a cloud, for heaven's sake. But she was used to seeing something under her feet. Thinking about walking in the sky, with nothing between her and the lethal drop, made her want to throw up before she even got up there.

Sanji eyed her, having a fairly good idea of what was going around in her head. He reached out and touched her arm, "You can do it. Just don't look down."

"After the three years of hell I went through, I damn well better be able to do it," She grumbled, but her arms were crossed and her fingers were tapping out a nervous pattern against her biceps. She had entrusted her physical training to Zoro because they both knew Sanji wouldn't have the heart to put her through the rigorous training that learning a CP9 martial art would require. She'd been athletic, as a thief should be, but now her muscles must have muscles. Sanji had only taken over to teach her the actual technique, long after she stopped having nightmares of Zoro yelling at her to train. It would be worth it, though.

Involuntarily, she glanced over at the other end of the Sunny's deck, where Robin was distracting their daughter. It was all for her.

"C'mon, Nami love. You've got to try sooner or later, and Robin can only keep Mello distracted for so long."

Taking a deep breath, Nami nodded and shook her limbs loose. As she prepared to kick off, she glanced at Sanji, "Catch me if I fall?"

Sanji smiled at her, "Always."


	11. 11: Your Eyes are Red Were You Crying

Sometimes Sanji saw Nami standing at the prow of the ship in the early evening. It wasn't a habit or anything, but every once and awhile, she'd wear an old plaid shirt and pick a mikan from her trees. Then she'd go to the very tip of the deck, where she could lean into the wind and the sky and the sea. She'd lift her face to the sky and stay there. In that time, she was in a world of her own, looking for vistas he couldn't see and speaking to people he couldn't hear.

Eventually, she rejoined the rest of the crew, but Sanji never asked her where she went.

Until one day, he bumped into her on her way back in and caught her by the elbows before she fell over. She looked normal, but her hands were freezing. And when she smiled at him, she also apologized. Sanji was spooked.

So the next time she wore that blue plaid shirt, he gathered all his courage and brewed her a cup of tea. Nervously, he tapped her on the shoulder.

She jumped and turned, startled. Sanji frowned when he saw her hide her face.

"I brought you tea. I thought you might be cold."

"Thank you, Sanji-kun," she replied, her voice almost lost in the wind. She took the cup and still didn't look at him.

Hesitantly, he cupped the side of her face and nudged her face up to meet his eyes. His heart cracked when he saw her face. Maybe her red nose and red cheeks could be explained by the wind, but her red eyes and the drying tear tracks couldn't.

"Nami-san," he breathed, a little aghast.

"I'm okay," she blurted out, cutting off his concern. She drew away from his hand, turning away back to the sea and the sky. "I just…"

Wordlessly, he wrapped her arms around her waist and dropped his chin on her shoulder. She relaxed into his hold and accepted the offer of comfort and warmth. He always just knew. Like he had the key to her heart, so he could release all the pain and sorrow she couldn't let go of on her own. They stood like this for endless heartbeats, her looking off into eternity and him anchoring her to the present until she finally whispered.

"I just can't help thinking how she would've love to see this."

* * *

**AN:** Bellmere's ghost pushing Nami out the door is possibly one of my favourite tiny moments in the whole manga, and I like to think Nami thinks about her every once and a while. Speaking of every once and a while, I know I've been spotty updating this, but I'm going to officially announce that this is on hiatus until the social distancing measures in my country are lifted and/or I'll Do It is finished. This was my commute write, and... well now I don't have a commute (and two longfics). For the few of you who are reading this, thanks for joining me so far, and I hope to be able to see you again before the end of the year. Stay safe and healthy until we meet again.


End file.
